If
your knowledge of “Little House on the Prairie” is only derived from
that Michael Landon-produced TV program in the ‘70s, this recent Disney
miniseries may come as a revelation to you. Unlike the popular TV show
of the same name, this production adheres more closely to writer Laura
Ingalls Wilder’s original nineteenth-century stories. Whereas Landon
created new adventures for the characters, ones not first found in the
books, this work only presents what was described on the written page.

The premise of “Little House on the Prairie” is built around the
trials and tribulations of the Ingalls family, who relocate from
Wisconsin to Kansas via covered wagon. It’s a story told from Laura
Ingalls’ perspective. Laura is the younger of two daughters in the
Ingalls family. Along with her older sister Mary, this nuclear group is
rounded out by father Charles, mother Caroline and their bi-eye-colored
dog Jack.

The Charles Ingalls character is a skilled trapper, hunter and
carpenter, and appears to be quite successful at this story’s start in
Pepin, Wisconsin. Even though there’s a scene where one of his
customers complains about the quality of a fence he built, the viewer
never gets the impression that the Ingalls family was forced to leave
town. When Charles sees a note that advertises homesteading in Kansas,
he gets the urge to move. Packing up and leaving friends and extended
family is the hardest aspect of this life change for the Ingalls
family. At one point Caroline’s mother tells her, “I told you not to
marry a man with wanderlust.” And this wanderlust drives Charles more
than anything else.

Charles is put to the test in many serious instances. These challenges
include crossing the frozen Mississippi River and having the ice begin
to crack underneath their wagon. Later, a rattlesnake bites one of the
Ingalls’ horses so they have to put it out of its misery. On another
occasion, their beloved dog almost drowns.

The Ingalls clan is reminded again and again to count their blessings
along their journey. They meet a family that is dazed and confused
about what to do next after having had their horses stolen in the
night. They also pass a spontaneous graveyard, with crosses crudely
fashioned out of tree branches, which serves to remind them that not
everybody survives the cross-country trek.

Even after they reach their new home, the Ingalls experience hardship.
While building their “dream house,” Caroline sprains her leg after a
log falls on it. Additionally, Charles is attacked by a wolf and later
by a mountain lion, and the family’s house catches on fire.

This story is more than just a tale about hard times, however. For
example, there is also a heartwarming scene that details the Ingalls’
first Christmas on the prairie. The girls don’t get a bunch of presents
from Santa, like most contemporary American children do, but they’re
more than pleased with the personalized wooden figurine carvings their
dad gives them.

This scene exemplifies how the Ingalls family is forced by
circumstances to appreciate each other’s company. They just don’t
interact with too many other people in their new surroundings. They do
befriend a “wildcat” from Tennessee named Edwards, however. Played with
spunk and humor by Gregory Sporleder, Edwards is a tough on the
outside/ tender on the inside character. It may annoy Caroline that
Edwards teaches Laura how to spit, but his help in building the family
home, along with his dedicated companionship, is invaluable.

Another couple, elderly neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Scott, are not nearly as
likeable or as helpful as Edwards. Their last names match their
nationality, as each speak with strong Scottish accents. Mr. Scott is
fearful and prejudiced about the area’s surrounding Indians, and Mrs.
Scott is just plain fearful to the point of panic. This pair may carry
a lot of emotional baggage, but they nevertheless always behave
neighborly toward the Ingalls family. They’re friends, not foes.

Although it’s hard to get cute-as-a-button Melissa Gilbert out of your
mind, Kyle Chavarria nevertheless does a wonderful job with the Laura
Ingalls character. There are scenes, such as one where she meets her
first Indian, where Chavarria just stands with her mouth wide open in
amazement. Such natural physical acting says far more than words ever
could. Danielle Churchran’s portrayal of the skittish Mary Ingalls is
also excellent. These two young girls have many scenes together, and
there is a natural on screen chemistry shared between them. Laura
Ingalls is brave, sometimes to a fault. But this bravery also comes in
handy whenever Mary needs someone to calm her down.

The most dramatic portions of this two-DVD set involves settler
interactions with the Indians. One tribe of Indians sets up camp near
the Ingalls homestead, but it’s never clear what their intentions are.
Charles is convinced that these are peaceful people, and even gets the
opportunity to smoke a peace pipe with one of their leaders, Soldat Du
Chene, who also saves his life by shooting an attacking mountain lion.
The Scotts, on the other hand, believe that the only good Indian is a
dead Indian. They suspect that this clan only means to cause them harm.
When these Indians set the woods on fire to drive the settlers out,
it’s clear that they won’t leave this region without a fight.
Eventually, the U.S. government pays these Indians for the land, thus
ending the prairie’s Indian presence.

At one point, the curious Laura asks her parents why American Indians
are continually driven west whenever settlers occupy a new land. Her
parents don’t have any good answers for her. Although it’s not
surprising that a young child would be troubled by this mistreatment of
the Indians, these scenes nevertheless smack of overt political
correctness, and probably should have been left on the cutting room
floor.

It’s also worth noting that this DVD earns its PG rating with a scene
where an Indian attacks a settler, sets his house on fire, and drags
him kicking and screaming out of his home. Although it has the Disney
label on it, this program may be a little too intense for small
children.

The sound throughout is fine. Even so, it’s a waste when such crisp and
clear audio is applied to John Cameron’s annoying New Age music. More
traditional orchestral music would have been far more fitting for this
wilderness story setting.

Despite this film’s attempt to get the author’s story right, fans of
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s original work still have good reason to quibble
with it. For instance, the Ingalls family also had a third daughter, a
baby girl, who has been completed eliminated from this retelling. But
if you’re not a Laura Ingalls Wilder purist, and you just enjoy an
exciting story that is told well, “Little House on the Prairie” puts a
little bit of American history into an undeniably entertaining context.